Single Family Rental Yard Care Dispute

[David S.]

Hi, All. I have an SFR that is halfway through a one year lease. My lease stipulates that the tenants are to maintain the yard. It does not go into specifics as to what this entails. They have not been maintaining the yard well at all. Weeds have grown 8-10" tall, leaves are still on the ground from November/December. It appears the lawn has never been edge as the bermuda thatch is 3-4" over the concrete in places. The backyard is completely weeds. I tried to handle this over the phone, and the tenant stated he was "doing his best" and that my expectations were unreasonable. When I pointed out the weeds, he corrected me and informed me that they are "native grasses". He claims to be maintaining it more than he is, and I called him on it saying I had driven by the house weeks apart and seen no change. He then asked if I was "spying on him" (which he later stated really "creeped out" his wife). Our conversation (argument, really) on the phone was a month ago, and there has been no real change.

As I am interested in the condition of the property being maintained, I have offered to hire and pay for a yard service. I realize this is probably overly conciliatory, but I'd like the property to show well when I put it back on the market in 4 months (they will be leaving the state), and it will take a while to get the lawn back. I'm thinking of handling this in an addendum, though he stated that he does not want the hassle of more paperwork. He did not seem remotely appreciative of my offer.

This tenant has been resistant to my policies from the beginning, and seems to take any action on my part as aggressive. One thought I had was to have my wife handle meeting with both tenants (they are husband and wife) to sign the addendum and handle business moving forward. My wife is named on the lease, but did not sign it.

My current thought is to email over the addendum, and if they refuse to sign it to then give them a notice to comply or quit on the basis that they are in violation of the lease due to their neglect of the yard.

Any input is appreciated. Thanks in advance.